In ancient Hebrew families, a birthright was a special set of rights and privileges that belonged to the oldest son. The oldest son was second in importance only to his father. When the father was away, the oldest son had the authority to make decisions for the family.
We can see how this worked in the story of Reuben and his younger brothers in Genesis. Reuben was the oldest son and had the birthright (Genesis 37:19–22, 28–30). But he later did something very wrong. He slept with one of his father's wives. Because of this sin, he lost his birthright (Genesis 49:1–4).
After Reuben lost his birthright, his younger brothers Simeon, Levi, and Judah were next in line (Genesis 29:31–35). However, their father Jacob decided not to give the birthright to Simeon or Levi because they had shown bad character (Genesis 49:5–7). Jacob spoke well of Judah (Genesis 49:8–10). But he chose to give the birthright to his favorite son Joseph instead (Genesis 49:22–26; 1 Chronicles 5:1–2; compare Genesis 37:2–4).
How Birthrights Worked in Ancient Times
Archaeologists have found ancient clay tablets in a place called Nuzi in Mesopotamia. These tablets tell us that family members could trade or exchange their birthrights with each other. We see an example of this in the Bible when Esau trades his birthright to his brother Jacob (compare Genesis 25:19–34).
The person who had the birthright also kept special objects called “teraphim,” or household idols (Genesis 31:19, 32, 34). These were small figures made of clay that represented the gods people worshiped in their area. Having these idols helped show that the oldest son had authority in the family.
Having a birthright meant two important things. First, the person would become the family leader. Second, they would receive twice as much inheritance as their brothers.
In ancient Israel, men could have more than one wife. The law said that the birthright must go to the first son born to the father, even if the father loved another wife more. The father could not change this without a just cause (Deuteronomy 21:15–17).
However, there were some exceptions. If a son's mother was a servant or a secondary wife (a woman who lived with the father but had fewer rights than his wife), that son could not receive the birthright (Genesis 21:9–13; Judges 11:1–2).
The birthright was especially important in royal families. The oldest son of a king had the right to become the next king (2 Chronicles 21:1–3). We see an example of what could go wrong when this rule was broken. King Rehoboam of Judah chose his favorite son, Abijah, to be the next king, even though Abijah was not the oldest. To prevent his other sons from causing problems, Rehoboam had to give them special gifts and positions (11:18–23; 12:16).
Esau's Birthright and What It Means for Christians
The New Testament tells a story from the Old Testament about a man named Esau. Esau was the oldest son of Isaac, an important leader in Israel's early history. One day, Esau was very hungry and traded his birthright to his younger brother Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew. He made this decision without thinking about how important his birthright was (Hebrews 12:16–17; compare Genesis 25:19–34).
This story teaches an important lesson. Just as Esau lost his birthright and his father's blessing by making a foolish choice, Christians are warned not to carelessly give up the spiritual blessings God has for them. (Genesis 27).